


snowballs

by Boo2020



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Other, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life, Snowball Fight, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29592288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boo2020/pseuds/Boo2020
Summary: When the Razor Crest breaks down on Maldo Kreis, you take the opportunity to show Grogu how to have fun in the snow.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Kudos: 27





	snowballs

**Author's Note:**

> I've been going back and forth on posting this because I'm so not used to writing reader insert fics but... I've been reading so many of them for The Mandalorian lately that I had to write one myself, and I think it was snowing where I live when I wrote this, lmao. Super simple, fluffy, slice of life. Only the slightest hint of the reader's crush. 
> 
> I'm _pretty sure_ the reader is gender neutral, but if you notice anything that indicates female only, let me know.

The _Razor Crest_ has never been the smoothest flying starship in the galaxy, but when she suddenly jerks and then drops the last few feet from the air to the ground, landing with a hard thud, you jerk awake in your seat, your arms automatically curling a little tighter around the small bundle in your lap.

You look around frantically, expecting some sort of commotion, but all you can see out of the transparisteel above the console is a vast expanse of white. Mando is still in the pilot’s seat, flicking switches and pushing buttons. You feel the _Razor Crest_ power down around you, and sit up a little straighter in your seat.

“What’s wrong?” you ask. You can already feel the temperature inside the ship dropping. “What planet are we on?”

Mando turns his head slightly, enough to acknowledge you. “Maldo Kreis,” he says. “Emergency landing, sorry it woke you up.”

Your heartbeat slows back to a regular pace and the bundle in your lap coos with relief when you release your tight grip on it. Grogu, the small green baby you’ve taken quite a liking to these past few months, leans his head back to peer up at you with his huge brown eyes. You smile down at him and begin to rub one of his ears. “Sorry, bud,” you say. “Your dad needs to work on his landings.”

Mando swivels in his seat to face you fully. “We’re lucky it wasn’t worse than that.”

He says nothing more and stands up, striding past you and jumping down the ladder from the cockpit into the hull. You sit where you are, almost grateful that you’d slept through whatever situation Mando has just managed to get through, enough to at least get you back on the ground safely. Looking out the window though, and feeling colder with every passing minute, you’re not so sure you want to stay on this planet for long.

You take off the seatbelt still buckling you in and stand to follow Mando down into the hull, keeping Grogu clutched against your chest with one arm. You find him digging through a box of cargo, eventually pulling out some sort of toolbox. 

You stand and watch him, already beginning to shiver. “You’re going outside?”

He turns, his helmet tilting at you in confusion. “Yes, I need to check the engines. You stay here.”

“The heat… the heat won’t work?” you ask meekly, already knowing the answer. 

He shakes his head. “Without the engines, no. I need them off to look at them.”

You sigh and notice that he hasn’t put on any sort of extra clothing. “You’ll freeze in metal armour,” you say, “and your clothes underneath aren’t that thick.”

“I’ll be fine,” he says, dismissing your concern. “Stay with the kid.”

“Fine,” you say, knowing there’s no way to argue with him. Besides, he’d invited you to join him as an extra bodyguard for Grogu, not for your knowledge of mechanics, which is practically zero. If Mando doesn’t fix the ship himself, you’re never getting off this ice planet.

“Well,” you say, looking down at Grogu, who tilts his head at you. “If the heat inside isn’t going to work, I’m going to take you outside and show you how to throw a snowball.”

Mando steps forward and reaches out to pat Grogu on the head. “Isn’t it too cold for him?”

You smile at the concern in his voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll bundle him up good, and I won’t keep him out long.”

He nods, trusting you with his tiny ward. “The ice here is thick, so ravinaks shouldn’t be a problem, but stay close to the ship anyway.”

“I promise,” you say, stepping around him to dig through a different cargo box. Mando stands in silence for a few seconds as if he has more to say, but then simply sighs and makes his way outside, the cold air chilling you as the hatch opens and then shuts again. 

“Brr. We’re really going to have to bundle up,” you tell Grogu, pulling extra clothing out of one of the boxes. Most of it is Mando’s as you didn’t have much when you started travelling with him, but he’s already given his permission for you to wear some of it if needed. You’re almost the same height as him, and though you’re not as well built, most of his clothes fit you rather well.

You pull out a few long sleeved shirts and a blanket and pull two of the shirts over Grogu’s head, the bottoms bunching up around his feet. Using the blanket, you make him another makeshift robe and wrap that around him as well, making sure to tuck his big ears in. He can barely walk in the getup, but you’ll be carrying him most of the time anyway.

You take the rest of the shirts for yourself, layering them overtop of the sleeveless one you normally wear, feeling warmer instantly. You dig through another box and manage to find a pair of gloves, though they aren’t exactly winter weather approved. They’re more like the leather gloves Mando normally wears with his armour, but they’re better than nothing. You pull them on and take Grogu into your arms again. “Ready, buddy?” He coos at you excitedly as you head for the door.

As soon as it slides open a brisk wind whips your hair around your face. You glance up at the ship and see Mando up top, the sun glaring blindingly off of his beskar. You hope there’s no one hostile out here, because you’re sure that from afar he must look like a shining beacon leading straight to the _Crest_.

But the day is clear and as far as you can see, white emptiness stretches out before you. The snow on the ground is fresh though, the only other marks in it are the footsteps left by Mando. It crunches under your boots as you take Grogu a few feet from the ship and then set him down in the snow.

He sinks a few inches in and you chuckle before kneeling in front of him. “I know you’ve seen snow before,” you say, “but I doubt your dad ever let you play with it.”

You scoop some of the snow into your hands and pack it tightly into a ball, then hand it over to Grogu. He takes it in his little claws and holds it for a few seconds before abruptly dropping it and looking up at you in betrayal.

“Yeah, it’s cold,” you say, “but you get used to it. Besides, you’re not supposed to hold it for long. You’re supposed to _throw_ it.”

Grogu coos, his curiosity piqued. He picks up the dropped ball again and tosses it lightly. His small stature and the way he’s bundled up in multiple layers makes it hard for him to throw it any further than a few inches in front of him. 

“Good try, buddy,” you say, smiling. “I think you need a target, though,” you say, looking around. There’s nothing, not a tree or a rock to be seen. Only the _Razor Crest_ , and the Mandalorian on top of it, still messing with something on top of the ship.

You grin to yourself. “Hey Grogu.” The baby coos at you, his head tilting. “Let’s do some target practice.” You point up at Mando, and Grogu makes a delighted little noise as he takes your meaning.

You scoop up some more snow and pack it together, creating a pile or snowballs at your feet. When you decide that you have enough, you begin throwing.

Your aim is terrible. Every snowball you throw flies overhead of Mando or goes too low and hits the side of the _Crest_ instead. Mando doesn’t seem to notice the snowballs flying past him, too engrossed in whatever he’s doing to the ship.

You pout to yourself when your pile is gone and you haven’t hit him even once. It’s no wonder he makes fun of your skill with a blaster; your skills are in close combat fighting, not guns. 

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” you say, glancing down at Grogu. You see he has one of the snowballs in his hands, and his eyes are closed in concentration.

You furrow your brows, watching him, wondering what on earth he’s doing. Then suddenly the snowball flies from his hands, shooting straight at the Mandalorian on top of the _Razor Crest_. It hits him in the back, splattering snow across the cape hanging from his shoulders. Mando looks up and over at you. The emotionless visor of his helmet stares down at you in silence, waiting for an explanation, and all you can think to do is point dumbly down at Grogu.

“He can’t throw that far,” Mando says, his voice raised so you can hear him over the wind. 

“He didn’t throw it!” you yell back. “He used his powers!”

Mando puts away the tool he’s using and snaps the toolbox shut, then slides down from the top of the ship. He strides towards you, his helmet tilted down, his gaze clearly on Grogu. “Did you do that?” he asks the baby. Grogu looks down at the ground. “You’re not in trouble if you did,” Mando tells him. 

Grogu looks back up at the reassurance that he didn’t do anything bad, and coos happily. You’re surprised to hear a quiet, incredulous laugh come from Mando.

“He’s really something,” you say, the disbelief evident in your voice. You know that Grogu has some sort of power, but the most you’ve seen him do is slowly levitate the shiny metal ball he loves so much back and forth between himself and Mando, only ever a few feet of distance. But this time he’d sent the snow flying hard and fast, and if it wasn’t snow and Mando wasn’t wearing armour, it might have been powerful enough to have stung a little on impact.

“Yeah,” Mando says. “That’s why we need to find him a proper teacher.”

You bite your lip, deciding to ignore the statement, not wanting to think about that at the moment. Instead you kneel down beside Grogu. “Do it again,” you urge him, forming a snowball in your hands and placing it in front of him.

It doesn’t seem to take as much concentration this time, he sends the ball flying with a flick of his tiny wrist. This time it hits Mando square in the helmet, covering the visor almost completely. You start to laugh, _hard._

“I didn’t mean to throw it at your dad again, buddy!” you say, holding your stomach as you continue to laugh. 

Mando uses a hand to wipe the snow from his visor. “Well, at least he has better aim than you.”

You stop laughing, and look up at him in surprise. “You knew!”

“Of course I knew,” he says. “I’m not oblivious. Couldn’t even hit me once. You have worse aim than a stormtrooper,” he says, shaking his head. “We definitely need to get you practicing with a blaster.”

“Hmph.” You begin to gather snow between your hands again. “My fighting skills are fine.”

“Blasters are better for far away use. Less chance of you getting hurt if you don’t have to fight up close,” he says, kneeling in the snow beside you to fix Grogu’s makeshift robe. It had begun to slip down his head a bit, revealing just a bit too much of his skin for the cold weather.

You smile as you watch this. As scary as the Mandalorian may be to others, you daily get to see a softer, fatherly side of him, particularly when it comes to Grogu. He’s normally stoic, silent, even grouchy at times, but his interactions with the little baby are something that always makes your heart feel just a little warmer. 

While he’s busy with Grogu, you get up and jog across the snow. Mando gets up again and turns to look at you, wondering where you’ve gone. You throw the snow you’ve had hidden in your hands, this time determined to hit him.

He leans slightly to one side and your snowball sails past him yet again. Then, to your shock, he throws one of his own, and it hits you square in the chest. You stand there with your mouth agape. He must have picked up the snow while tending to Grogu, and he’d been so fast with his throw that you didn’t even have a chance to try dodging it. It’s no surprise really; you’ve seen him draw his blaster and hit targets further away than you’re standing even faster, and with ease.

Grogu laughs delightedly as you kneel down to scoop up more snow, beginning an all out snowball fight. Grogu is definitely enjoying using his Force skills to throw snow at you, with Mando encouraging him all along. Mando for his part doesn’t throw anything more at you, which at least makes the fight a little more fair, though not by much. You, on the other hand, aim all of your throws at him, not wanting to hit Grogu with anything despite him using you for target practice. He’s much too small to take a snowball hit, even with the padding of all his extra layers.

This goes on for almost twenty minutes, and you find yourself wishing you had some sort of armour to protect you from the densely packed snowballs, too. The force that they hit you with leaves you surprised; Grogu’s powers seem to have gotten even stronger lately. It doesn’t matter how much you run trying to dodge them either; he can control their trajectory, and if you run to the right, the snowball simply follows. He doesn’t miss once.

Eventually you hold up your hand to stop the barrage, and Mando kneels down and says something to Grogu. His last snowball drops from the sky just a few feet away from you. You walk back across the snowy battlefield and plop down in the snow beside the two of them. “Well that was fun,” you say, “but I’m actually getting kind of sore.”

You hear a sharp exhale come from Mando’s helmet. “Is something funny?” you ask, squinting at him in the sun.

“You’ll be able to take lessons in aiming from the kid.”

“Oh, hush,” you say, reaching out and pushing at his knee.

“Seriously. I counted, he hit you twenty-three times.”

“If I say I’ll start practicing more with a blaster, will you stop making fun of me?”

“Sure.” 

You cross your arms, pouting in the snow. “You’re lucky you wear all that armor, or I’d shove this snow down your shirt,” you say. “He should’ve used _you_ for more target practice, at least you _have_ armor-”

You stop talking when Mando lifts a hand and gestures towards Grogu. He’s beginning to fall asleep where he’s sitting, finally tired from using his powers for so long.

“We shouldn’t have made him do that for so long,” Mando says as you pull Grogu into your arms. 

“It’s fine,” you say, reassuring him. “He wanted to. Did you see how much fun he was having? Now at least he’ll sleep for the night. Besides, he doesn’t get to use his powers that much. Maybe it was nice to be able to show them off a bit without worrying about the wrong people seeing.” 

Mando nods, seemingly pacified, and stands to his full height. “Speaking of night,” he says, looking up to the sky, “it’s getting dark out, and I didn’t finish repairing the ship yet.”

“That’s okay, it’s my fault for starting all this,” you say. “You should come inside and rest for a bit. Will the engines work to heat the ship for the night?”

“They should.”

“Then you can finish the ship in the morning. So far no one has come out to see us. We’ll be safe.” 

He doesn’t answer you right away, and you know he’s weighing his options. He never likes to stay in one spot for long, not with Grogu being chased across the galaxy. But he knows you’re right, there’s no one around as far as the eye can see, and you’ve been here in the wide open snowfield long enough that if someone was coming, they would have found you by now.

“Alright,” he says. “We should get dry,” he says. “Especially you.”

You sigh, a shiver making its way down your spine. You’ve been keeping relatively warm thanks to all the physical activity, but the wet of the melting snowballs you’ve been pelted with along with your sweat is starting to give you a chill. “Yeah, I am getting a little cold now that I’m not moving around so much.”

“Come on,” Mando says, holding a hand out to you. You take his with the hand you’re not holding onto Grogu with, and he pulls you to your feet with ease. Normally you would step away, create distance between the two of you, but despite the cold metal armor covering most of his body, you can swear you feel warmth radiating from him, and you’re reluctant to move away from it.

When Mando puts a hand against your back to guide you back towards the _Razor Crest_ , keeping you close, you’re glad for the gesture, but it sends a different kind of shiver down your spine. One that has nothing to do with the cold.


End file.
